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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — to breed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tube — the underground
  6. land — to come down
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a partner
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tube — a container
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — a video
  22. pop — music
  23. drill — army training
  24. land — ground

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