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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — a container
  14. cap — a hat
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. march — music
  18. season — in sport

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