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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — wild animals
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. craft — boats
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — for paper
  9. suit — to fit
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. cell — a phone
  24. suit — in cards

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