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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: sharp · clip · bear · pass · pop · march · cabinet · drill

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pass — a permit
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. sharp — clever
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — to put up with

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