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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. toast — bread
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — completely
  23. march — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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