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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. suit — to fit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rock — music
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rock — a stone
  12. clip — for paper
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to sink
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. suit — clothes

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