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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — decided
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — a division
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kick — in football
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. march — the month
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — steady
  23. clip — to cut
  24. firm — a company

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