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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. march — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pass — a permit
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — in football
  11. season — of the year
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. clip — to cut
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — the month
  20. perch — the fish
  21. spring — the season
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. jam — in traffic

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