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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spring — a coil
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — hurry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spring — of water

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