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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — a video
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pit — a hole
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — a song

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