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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — moving air
  3. clip — to cut
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — a hole
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — army training
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. last — final
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pit — in a race
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — to turn a key

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