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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: season · march · last · file · clip · stick · bore · mug

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — to go on
  4. season — in sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mug — a face
  9. bore — to drill
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — music
  14. last — finally
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a document
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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