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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. clip — for paper
  10. court — of law
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — the time now
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pop — to visit
  18. present — there
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of a king
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — a gift

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