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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pop — to visit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — soda
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — moving air

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