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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. current — electric
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — letters
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — happening now
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — of water
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spell — magic
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. spell — a short time
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — music

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