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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pop — music
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. press — to push

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