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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: season · rule · clip · toast · march · craft · fork · spell

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. season — in sport
  4. toast — bread
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. march — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. clip — to cut
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spell — letters
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rule — government
  18. spell — magic
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — a law
  24. season — of the year

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