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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — thin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — a series
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hide — to keep secret

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