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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rock — a stone
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rock — music
  10. march — the month
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — to go on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitch — completely
  24. clip — for paper

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