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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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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. march — music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. clip — a video
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month
  19. clip — for paper
  20. foot — a measure
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — clever

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