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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. spell — letters
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — finally
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. current — electric
  12. spell — magic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — happening now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. last — final
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. current — of water
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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