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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. season — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — to get on
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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