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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lie — to recline
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. clip — to cut
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. key — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — for catching
  24. ground — a position

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