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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — to cut
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. cap — of ice
  17. content — happy
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — the amount
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — to spend time

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