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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: hide · dip · pass · present · clip · fine · scale · mate

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pass — a permit
  5. present — the time now
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — to sink
  8. present — a gift
  9. scale — in music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — high quality
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — a friend
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hide — animal skin

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