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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. squash — to crush
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — rain
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. pound — a weight
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. march — the month
  14. object — to protest
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. present — there
  18. march — music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. present — a gift
  21. object — a thing
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — an aim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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