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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — a container
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mate — a friend
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a line
  18. swing — in golf
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mate — to breed
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. swing — to play on

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