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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. clip — to cut
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — clever
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. press — to push

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