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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cold — an illness
  3. firm — a company
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. firm — steady
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bass — the fish
  11. firm — decided
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — a container
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rock — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cold — not warm
  24. hide — to keep secret

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