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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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