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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. file — a document
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bound — obliged
  6. clip — a video
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. present — the time now
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. clip — to cut
  13. present — there
  14. bound — tied together
  15. present — a gift
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. plane — an aircraft

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