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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ground — the earth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. current — of water
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — low music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ground — crushed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — for paper
  21. current — happening now
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. sharp — clever

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