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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. press — to push
  10. charge — a price
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. charge — in control
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — for paper
  15. march — the month
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — in golf
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. march — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — a phone

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