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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mine — for digging
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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