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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mate — a partner
  5. clip — a video
  6. mate — a friend
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mark — a grade
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. clip — for paper
  13. drill — army training
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — a practice
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. toast — bread

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