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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — newspapers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — for paper
  8. press — a publisher
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a great time
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — size or range
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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