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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pass — a permit
  5. season — in sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — of the year
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bank — of a river
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — to add flavour

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