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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tube — a container
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — to cut
  16. charge — in control
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — for paper
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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