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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rest — what's left
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. march — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — what's left
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. march — the month
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bank — for money
  22. rest — a break
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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