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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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 — to cut
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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