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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — the fish
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — ground
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — a safe
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stock — goods

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