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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. capital — a city
  4. clip — to cut
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to click
  19. present — there
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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