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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — to be able to
  16. key — in music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. march — the month
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — for paper

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