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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bark — to shout
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mug — a face
  13. firm — steady
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — decided
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. firm — a company
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mug — a cup

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