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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — for paper
  5. court — of a king
  6. content — the amount
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. suit — clothes
  9. court — of law
  10. content — happy
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rest — a break
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — to cut
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rush — hurry
  17. dip — to sink
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — for sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. prune — the fruit

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