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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cap — of ice
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — magic
  19. band — a ring
  20. mate — a partner
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com