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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 124 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ground — a position
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. clip — to cut
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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