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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. cap — a hat
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pound — a weight

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