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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — in sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. court — of law
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — humankind
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. root — the cause
  12. season — of the year
  13. root — of a word
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. race — a contest
  18. court — of a king
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. current — electric
  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