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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. march — music
  3. band — a ring
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. clip — a video
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — clothes
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chair — a leader
  24. clip — to cut

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