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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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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: pop · ball · season · mate · clip · bowl · safe · prune

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a partner
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — to cut
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — soda
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pop — to visit

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