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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. clip — for paper
  3. land — a country
  4. clip — a video
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — to breed
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bank — for money
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — to come down
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mate — a partner

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