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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. press — a publisher
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. clip — to cut
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pop — to visit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. charge — electricity
  19. press — to push
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pop — soda
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pop — music

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