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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. perch — the fish
  5. plane — a tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — all right
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. charge — in control
  18. bass — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — high quality
  21. charge — electricity
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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