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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · stick · race · mate · fork · cabinet

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fork — in a road
  6. clip — a video
  7. mate — to breed
  8. race — a contest
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. clip — to cut
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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