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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. firm — decided
  6. current — of water
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — soda
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. current — happening now
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. toast — bread
  17. clip — to cut
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — of a word
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — music

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