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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · bat · cap · season · stick · deal · bark · drill

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cap — of ice
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — for paper
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — an agreement

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