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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rock — music
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — a video
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. march — music
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — a grade

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