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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitch — completely
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — a coil
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a lid

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