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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. row — a line
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mug — a face
  11. rule — government
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rule — a law
  15. pound — a weight
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wake — before a funeral

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