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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. face — to point toward
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — a city

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