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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. present — there
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — a division
  20. present — the time now
  21. kid — child
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — a gift

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