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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fall — the season
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mug — a face
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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