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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mark — a grade
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. shower — rain
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. staff — employees
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — a stick
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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