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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. firm — steady
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — to cut
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. firm — a company
  19. sharp — clever
  20. swing — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lash — to lash out

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