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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 120 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: cell · march · deal · nail · clip · season · track · foot

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — the month
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cell — in biology
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. track — a song
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. deal — to handle
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. track — a path
  24. season — of the year

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