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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pass — a permit
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mug — a face
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lean — to bend
  24. march — music

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