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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. clip — a video
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — temperature
  9. march — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — goods
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — a container
  23. degree — from a university
  24. march — the month

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