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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. clip — to cut
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — the cause
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — hasty
  24. march — the month

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