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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spring — of water
  3. track — a song
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — in sport

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