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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. clip — to cut
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — for sport
  14. board — to get on
  15. bound — certain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. field — a subject
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — a committee
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — completely

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