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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — final
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. clip — for paper
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — temperature
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. clip — to cut
  15. last — to go on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. scale — size or range
  18. club — for golf
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — an amount

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