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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. press — to push
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — of a king
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — to eat
  23. can — to be able to
  24. net — after costs

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