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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. track — to keep track
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — a song

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