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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a friend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — in sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mug — a cup
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — the cause
  17. scale — size or range
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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