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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. suit — in cards
  5. march — music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. capital — a city
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. suit — to fit
  14. race — humankind
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — clothes
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — a contest
  23. capital — money
  24. rest — a break

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