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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — there
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. drill — army training
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a committee
  13. march — music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rest — a break
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. board — to get on
  23. present — a gift
  24. rest — what's left

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