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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — for paper
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fine — all right
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — a video
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cap — a hat

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