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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. object — an aim
  5. spell — magic
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. spell — letters
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — a subject
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. object — to protest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — to cut
  16. object — a thing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. field — farmland
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitch — completely

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