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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chest — a box
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. clip — to cut
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mate — to breed

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