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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — to cut
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wake — a trail

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