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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lean — thin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — for a lock
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pop — music
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — soda
  23. mate — to breed
  24. clip — to cut

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