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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — a trace
  4. march — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a dance
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mark — a grade
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cap — of ice
  15. season — of the year
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — in sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ball — a great time

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