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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. current — of water
  15. rule — government
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rule — a law
  21. game — wild animals
  22. current — electric
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — a match

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