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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. clip — to cut
  14. track — a song
  15. land — a country
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. land — ground
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a path
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — soda
  24. racket — for tennis

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