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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pop — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — soda

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