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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — the most important part
  7. file — a document
  8. clip — to cut
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — to come down
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — ground
  17. key — for a lock
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. file — a line of people
  21. land — a country
  22. key — in music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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