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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: rule · last · mark · march · clip · jam · squash · leaves

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — finally
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rule — government
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. squash — to crush
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — a video
  16. rule — a law
  17. clip — to cut
  18. last — final
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — to go on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — a grade

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