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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. clip — a video
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mate — a partner
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — to visit
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — for catching
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pop — music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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