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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. squash — to crush
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — rain
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — to go on
  15. swing — music
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. swing — to play on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. shower — to wash
  22. last — finally
  23. rush — hurry
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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