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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — for paper

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