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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — of the year
  4. bank — of a river
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. season — in sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — the sport
  21. march — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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