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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — to recline
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. last — final
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — low music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mate — a friend

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