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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. game — a match
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. degree — temperature
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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