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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — crushed
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — to push
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tube — a container
  19. kick — in football
  20. ground — a position
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. safe — out of danger

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