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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. march — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stand — to bear
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. sharp — clever
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — of water
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. clip — to cut
  16. current — electric
  17. charge — in control
  18. march — the month
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — happening now
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wound — an injury

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