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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — final
  9. clip — for paper
  10. roll — a cake
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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