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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: clip · mate · wound · tube · march · bay · calf · pitch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tube — a container
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — the underground
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. march — music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. clip — a video
  24. bay — a horse colour

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