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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. club — a group
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. club — for golf
  17. roll — a cake
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pop — to visit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. roll — a list
  24. spring — the season

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