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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. march — the month
  3. key — the most important part
  4. clip — to cut
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mate — a partner
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — a video
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — in music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — in a prison

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