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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. march — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. clip — a video
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. present — a gift
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. press — to push
  21. mate — a friend
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  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