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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. snap — to click
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — the fish
  6. swing — in golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bound — obliged
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. clip — for paper
  18. degree — from a university
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. swing — music
  24. degree — temperature

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