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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. can — a tin
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. swing — to play on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — after costs
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — in sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — to be able to

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