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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — the season
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — of water
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mine — for digging

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