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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — a gift
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lean — thin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — to bend
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. fine — high quality
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bass — the fish
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low 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