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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. root — the cause
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. object — to protest
  7. root — of a word
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — an aim
  13. row — a line
  14. race — a contest
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — for paper
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — of a plant
  22. race — the arms race
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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