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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. current — electric
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — after costs
  14. current — of water
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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