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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — a thing
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. last — to go on
  10. drill — a practice
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mate — to breed
  15. object — an aim
  16. last — finally
  17. object — to protest
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. clip — to cut
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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