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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — a video
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. clip — for paper
  16. root — the cause
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — a friend

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