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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. last — finally
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — letters
  11. field — for sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — to go on
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ball — a dance
  24. last — final

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