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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — for paper
  4. suit — to fit
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — to cut
  7. season — in sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. march — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — moving air

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