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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. can — to be able to

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