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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — to bear
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. march — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — newspapers
  18. content — happy
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stand — for spectators

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