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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.

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
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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: march · clip · lie · date · hide · fine · court · cap

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — all right
  5. cap — a hat
  6. clip — a video
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — to recline
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. date — the fruit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. march — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of law

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