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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. clip — a video
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — a hat
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. season — in sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fan — a supporter

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