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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 seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chest — a box
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mark — a trace

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