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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — to cut
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. kid — child
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — the underground
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — a break
  24. rule — government

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