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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — size or range
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — hurry
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — a break
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bark — to shout
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. board — a committee
  23. scale — in music
  24. rest — what's left

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