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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hand — help
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hand — in cards
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. clip — for paper
  24. racket — for tennis

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