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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — in sport
  9. rock — music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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