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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a leader
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — the underground
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tube — a container
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. clip — to cut

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