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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — to put up with

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