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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to drill
  4. scale — size or range
  5. land — ground
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — for paper
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mark — a trace
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — to come down
  24. racket — for tennis

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