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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stock — shares
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stock — goods
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — music
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. mug — a face
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — to push
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. board — a committee

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