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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — a position
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — crushed
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mark — a grade
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — decided
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pop — to visit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. firm — steady
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ground — the earth
  23. sharp — clever
  24. firm — a company

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