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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. content — the amount
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — music
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. clip — for paper
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — happy
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — to play on
  23. date — on the calendar
  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