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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. rule — government
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. content — happy

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