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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mate — to breed
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — a friend
  9. clip — a video
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — to cut
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — army training
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. march — music

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