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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — for paper
  10. content — happy
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — completely
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wax — to grow

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