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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. clip — to cut
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — music
  8. firm — decided
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. firm — steady
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. firm — a company
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — in a race
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — a professorship

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