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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — a video
  3. press — a publisher
  4. current — electric
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — in football
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — newspapers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — to push
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — of water
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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