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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — army training
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — a friend
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cap — a hat
  12. row — a line
  13. cap — a lid
  14. drill — a practice
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — from a university
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — a partner
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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