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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · march · arm · mark · hide · ball · clip · present

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. present — a gift
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mark — a grade
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — music
  12. rash — a series
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — there
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — for paper

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