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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — for paper
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. club — a group
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for golf
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — electricity
  18. track — to keep track
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a song
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — crushed
  24. charge — a price

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