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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · staff · press · pass · march · craft

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pass — a permit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — boats
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. press — to push
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. march — music
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — to cut
  18. craft — a handicraft

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