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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cap — a hat
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — in sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. march — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — an untruth

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