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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. clip — to cut
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — a face
  8. ball — a great time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — a song
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — a permit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — a city
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — money

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