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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 124 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a lid
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a hat
  6. object — to protest
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — the underground
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a song
  13. current — of water
  14. march — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. track — a path
  17. cap — of ice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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