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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.

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: cue · mate · march · mug · jam · mouse · capital · clip

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — a video
  4. mug — a face
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — money
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. clip — for paper
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — a city
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. march — music
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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