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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pop — music
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kid — child

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