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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — the amount
  8. kid — to tease
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. content — happy
  12. court — of law
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — for sport
  22. press — to push
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mouse — the animal

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