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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — magic
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. land — ground
  17. spell — letters
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. land — a country
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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