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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a document
  3. key — in music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. file — a line of people
  8. clip — to cut
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. file — a tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a great time
  24. key — for a lock

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