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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The kitten curled into 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. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. charge — in control
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ground — a position
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — a video
  12. mate — a partner
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ball — a great time
  17. charge — electricity
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — a price
  21. ground — crushed
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. snap — to click
  24. ball — a round shape

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