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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. net — for catching
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. net — in sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. current — happening now
  21. pound — a weight
  22. hand — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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