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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. plane — a tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — in geometry

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