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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 124 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — tied together
  9. race — a contest
  10. clip — for paper
  11. object — an aim
  12. cold — not warm
  13. object — to protest
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — a partner
  19. race — humankind
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — certain
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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