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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. clip — a video
  5. lie — to recline
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — to cut
  10. net — in sport
  11. current — of water
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — for catching
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — after costs
  20. rest — a break
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — for paper

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