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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.

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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 · date · object · clip · suit · season · cue · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. object — a thing
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. date — the fruit
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cue — a hint
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cue — a signal
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. object — to protest
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. march — music

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