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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — there
  6. club — a group
  7. track — a song
  8. present — a gift
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. track — to keep track
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. present — the time now
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. club — for dancing
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. track — a path
  24. last — to go on

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