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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. march — the month
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — to push
  12. rock — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. file — a document
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — a publisher
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bass — low music
  23. clip — to cut
  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