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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a cup
  6. face — to confront
  7. mug — a face
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mug — to rob
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a committee
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — for paper
  24. trunk — 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