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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — for paper
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ground — the earth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — the fish
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — a container
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — to cut

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