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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cue — a signal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fork — to eat with

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