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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · mine · last · temple · mate · present · clip · cabinet

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. present — the time now
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — a video
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. present — there
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mine — for digging

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