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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — for paper
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — a stone
  20. staff — employees
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — all right
  24. calf — of the leg

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