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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.

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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — to push
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — a contest
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — a group
  23. clip — for paper
  24. race — the arms race

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