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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — a match
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — to wash
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. plane — a tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — for paper
  24. deal — an agreement

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