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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. present — the time now
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. clip — to cut
  12. suit — clothes
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. suit — to fit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. present — there
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — a gift
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a grade

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