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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. clip — to cut
  4. game — a match
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — wild animals
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — letters
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. press — a publisher
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — music
  19. press — to push
  20. charge — electricity
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spell — magic
  24. charge — in control

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