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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. land — a country
  4. march — the month
  5. chip — to eat
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. land — ground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — a measure

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