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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — hurry
  3. craft — a skill
  4. march — music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. craft — boats
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mark — a grade
  12. land — ground
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. press — newspapers
  23. clip — to cut
  24. sharp — clever

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