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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. bear — the animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ball — a great time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. clip — to cut
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. ball — a dance

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