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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mate — a partner
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mate — to breed
  16. face — part of the head
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — clever
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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