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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rule — a law
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — the fish

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