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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — music
  4. file — a document
  5. dip — to sink
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a line of people
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — to crush
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. squash — the sport

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