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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — to come down
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — to cut
  10. land — a country
  11. march — the month
  12. land — ground
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a face
  15. cap — a lid
  16. firm — steady
  17. march — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. firm — a company
  20. cap — a hat
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. firm — decided
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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