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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cue — a signal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. face — to point toward
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — certain
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — tied together
  20. drill — army training
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — to cut
  24. leaves — of a tree

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