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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.

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: last · roll · clip · march · stick · court · board · saw

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — final
  6. court — of a king
  7. clip — for paper
  8. march — the month
  9. court — for sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — finally
  12. board — to get on
  13. roll — a list
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. roll — a cake
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. march — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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