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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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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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. mate — a friend
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rush — hurry
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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