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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — low music
  8. drill — army training
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. clip — to cut
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — after costs
  18. suit — in cards
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. perch — the fish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — for catching

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