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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: game · stick · saw · clip · vault · march · sharp · last

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a match
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. last — final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. sharp — clever
  16. last — finally
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. vault — a safe
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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