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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. swing — to play on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. swing — music

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