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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — the month
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. roll — a list
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. roll — a cake
  15. key — for a lock
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — to eat
  20. key — the most important part
  21. foot — a measure
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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