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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — a video
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — clever
  8. board — to get on
  9. cell — a phone
  10. dip — to sink
  11. can — a tin
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — a tin
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. scale — in music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — music
  24. clip — to cut

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