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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — a video
  12. cue — for pool
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. bound — certain
  20. cue — a hint
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — in football

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