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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. court — of law
  3. firm — decided
  4. last — finally
  5. firm — steady
  6. mug — a face
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — money
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a hole
  17. deal — to handle
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — for sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. firm — a company
  23. mug — to rob
  24. deal — an agreement

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