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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — a container
  5. ball — a great time
  6. last — finally
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a dance
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — to cut
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. last — final
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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