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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — a division
  6. scale — size or range
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — to cut
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. face — to point toward
  24. key — for a lock

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