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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — the season
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mate — a partner
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — boats
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. game — a match
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — of water

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