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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. march — music
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. net — for catching
  11. clip — to cut
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — letters
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. plane — a tool

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