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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — in music
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — of the year
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. present — a gift
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. present — there
  15. march — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — the season
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — a video
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — hurry

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