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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 120 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's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. file — a document
  16. club — for golf
  17. clip — to cut
  18. club — a group
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. net — for catching

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