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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fall — the season
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — electric
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — a line
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fall — to drop
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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