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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fall — the season
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. swing — to play on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bat — the animal

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