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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. clip — to cut
  22. season — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. hide — to keep secret

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