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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tube — the underground
  8. firm — a company
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — a video
  24. firm — steady

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