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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — for light
  3. saw — the tool
  4. clip — a video
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lean — thin
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — a partner
  12. race — humankind
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — for paper
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. staff — a stick

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