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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — tied together
  9. toast — bread
  10. tube — the underground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a 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