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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — to bear
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — bread
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — farmland
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. sharp — clever
  14. field — for sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. field — a subject
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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