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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — a break
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. cue — a hint
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — 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