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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 124 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. clip — a video
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — after costs
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. craft — boats
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — in sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a friend
  22. plane — a tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mate — to breed

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