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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — a tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. fall — the season
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. temple — side of the head

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