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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ball — a dance
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — a friend
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. key — in music
  12. last — final
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — to go on
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — to grow
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ball — a great time
  24. drill — the tool

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