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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stock — goods
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stock — shares
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — to visit

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