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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — soda
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — for dogs

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