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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. tube — a container
  6. file — a tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. bat — the animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tube — the underground
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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