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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mug — a cup
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stock — shares
  11. kick — in football
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mug — a face
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to tire
  16. season — in sport
  17. clip — for paper
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — to rob
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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