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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. clip — to cut
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — decided
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. march — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. scale — size or range
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — steady
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wax — to grow
  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