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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pit — in a race
  5. clip — to cut
  6. suit — to fit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pit — a hole
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. press — to push

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