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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — the season
  8. present — a gift
  9. fall — to drop
  10. kid — child
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — the time now
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — for paper
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — to tease
  21. present — there
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. charge — electricity

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