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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. clip — a video
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lie — to recline
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — for pool
  17. field — a subject
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tear — to rip

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