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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rock — music
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of a king
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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