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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.

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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — a video
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mug — a cup
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — of law
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — of a king
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mug — a face

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