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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — in football
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — a thrill

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