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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. clip — a video
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — to confront
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — the underground
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. mark — a trace
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. press — to push
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — in football
  24. march — the month

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