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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. clip — a video
  4. march — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lean — thin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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