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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pop — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — soda
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mate — to breed
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pitcher — a jug

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