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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — low music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mug — to rob
  21. drill — army training
  22. clip — for paper
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bound — certain

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