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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. roll — a cake
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. current — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — a video
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — to cut
  24. roll — a list

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