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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — the month
  10. race — humankind
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — a phone
  21. march — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — music

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