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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ground — the earth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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