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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — what's left
  4. staff — employees
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mate — to breed
  13. staff — employees
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — a video
  24. race — humankind

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