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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. plane — a tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rush — a thrill

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