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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — music
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — a hole
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — to push
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — a break
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. face — to confront
  23. season — of the year
  24. press — a publisher

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