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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. clip — a video
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — in sport
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mug — a cup
  8. present — a gift
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mug — to rob
  11. present — there
  12. rest — what's left
  13. present — the time now
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. clip — to cut
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rest — a break
  19. wake — a trail
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rest — what's left
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mug — a face

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