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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cap — of ice
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — a video
  16. fork — in a road
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. content — happy
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — rain

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