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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. march — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a great time
  7. march — the month
  8. press — to push
  9. bank — of a river
  10. track — a song
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a dance
  13. track — to keep track
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bank — for money
  19. press — a publisher
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — a path
  22. snap — to click
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. clip — a video

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