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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: key · march · bulb · kid · pass · clip · bound · cap

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bound — certain
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cap — a lid
  8. march — music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — tied together
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pass — a permit
  21. key — in music
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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