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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mate — a partner
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. clip — for paper
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. clip — a video
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — of a word
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. present — a gift

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