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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. clip — a video
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — army training
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. drill — the tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. drill — a practice
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. clip — for paper
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mate — a friend
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — in sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. dip — a sauce

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