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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — for paper
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fine — high quality
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. deal — to handle
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — a tin
  23. fine — all right
  24. scale — in music

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