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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — in sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rash — hasty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — after costs
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — a part of something

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