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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. clip — a video
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — to breed
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a ring
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. plane — a tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. march — 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