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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. capital — a city
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — a permit
  24. staff — a stick

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