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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. march — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — hurry
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. content — happy
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — with your hand

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