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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — to sink
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mark — a trace
  21. swing — music
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. mark — a grade

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