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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mug — to rob
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — clever
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — low music
  22. track — a path
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bass — the instrument

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