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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — for paper
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. straw — dry grass

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