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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · race · mouse · fine · date · bass · march · chair

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. race — a contest
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. race — humankind
  8. bass — low music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. clip — to cut
  13. race — the arms race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — all right
  17. bass — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — the animal

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