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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spring — the season
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. board — to get on
  18. cell — a phone
  19. foot — a measure
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rash — a series

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