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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ball — a dance
  13. toast — bread
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bass — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mate — to breed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bass — low music
  24. wave — with your hand

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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