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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cap — a lid
  6. current — electric
  7. press — to push
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — to recline
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lean — thin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — of water
  19. date — the fruit
  20. current — happening now
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — in football

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