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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: mate · stick · pop · charge · bat · pit · clip · wax

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — a price
  9. pit — in a race
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pit — a hole
  14. charge — in control
  15. clip — a video
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wax — in the ear

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