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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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 partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. mate — a friend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — of the year
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — to breed
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kid — child
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — a video
  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