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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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