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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pound — a weight
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — a line
  19. press — to push
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — to bear
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. press — newspapers

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