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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. clip — a video
  10. tube — a container
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rule — a law
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rule — government
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. clip — for paper
  21. scale — in music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fork — a garden tool

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