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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · wound · clip · mouse · mate · pit · hand · saw

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — in a race
  7. clip — for paper
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. clip — to cut
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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