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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: stand · bore · clip · pitcher · key · land · march · stick

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. land — ground
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — in music
  24. land — a country

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