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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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468
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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — temperature
  6. march — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fork — in a road
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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