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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — the sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. content — the amount
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — a publisher
  9. present — there
  10. march — music
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. clip — to cut
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. present — the time now
  20. toast — bread
  21. squash — to crush
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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