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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — to come from
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bank — for money
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — in a race
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. pit — a hole

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