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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lean — to bend
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wave — of the sea

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