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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. march — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mate — to breed
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mate — a partner
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. snap — to click
  17. branch — a division
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — the month
  21. stand — to bear
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — a measure

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