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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. root — of a word
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — for paper
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — the cause
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. file — a document

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