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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 · fine · toast · field · cabinet · clip · lean · stick

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mate — a partner
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — high quality
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lean — to bend
  17. toast — bread
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lean — thin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — a subject
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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