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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. field — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — to push
  9. field — farmland
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — newspapers
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — a subject
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. charge — in control
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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