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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. suit — clothes
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — soda
  14. spring — a coil
  15. clip — a video
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. suit — to fit

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