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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. race — a contest
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tube — a container
  13. race — the arms race
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bat — the animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to tire

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