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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. branch — a division
  10. key — in music
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. clip — for paper
  19. present — there
  20. key — for a lock
  21. clip — a video
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. present — a gift
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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