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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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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: racket · mate · pound · rest · date · clip · spell · pass

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mate — a partner
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pound — a weight
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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