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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. land — to come down
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ball — a great time
  24. clip — for paper

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