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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: snap · game · bore · bowl · march · press · stick · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — to tire
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — a video
  17. game — wild animals
  18. march — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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