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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — for paper
  9. charge — a price
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — in sport
  17. hand — help
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — after costs
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — a weight

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