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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. object — an aim
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a line
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitch — completely
  9. clip — for paper
  10. object — to protest
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — in music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. object — a thing
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pit — in a race

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