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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. object — to protest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — for paper
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — to wash
  24. march — the month

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