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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pop — soda
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. suit — in cards
  9. present — there
  10. pop — to visit
  11. march — the month
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — to cut
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — a gift
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  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