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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — to wash
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ground — the earth
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — of the year
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — a match
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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