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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: bore · perch · clip · mine · pop · kick · mate · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — in football
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — to cut
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bore — to drill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — for a bird

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