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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
468
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: content · clip · saw · tube · plane · rock · march · chair

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. march — music
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rock — a stone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — a container
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — to cut
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rock — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tube — the underground
  22. content — the amount
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. chair — to sit on

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