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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — crushed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. clip — a video
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — the earth
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mate — a partner

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