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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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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: bowl · mug · march · last · bound · file · clip · jam

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mug — a face
  8. march — music
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. last — finally
  13. bound — certain
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bound — obliged
  16. last — final
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — to go on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mug — to rob

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