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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. craft — boats
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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