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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — in football
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. degree — temperature
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bat — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. current — happening now
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. roll — a list
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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