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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. scale — in music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. suit — clothes
  20. scale — size or range
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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