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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. firm — a company
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bat — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mouse — for a computer

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