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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. press — a publisher
  7. file — a document
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — to push
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — for paper
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — to add flavour

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