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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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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. face — to point toward
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hand — in cards
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — help
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. face — part of the head
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. face — to confront
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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