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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spring — of water
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — the amount
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — happy
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — a grade

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