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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. file — a document
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — music
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — of water
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — the season
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — a coil

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