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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bass — low music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bass — the instrument

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