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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — to cut
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. scale — size or range
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. dip — a sauce

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