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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · nail · press · clip · track · ruler · cold · perch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — a publisher
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. track — to keep track
  16. content — happy
  17. track — a song
  18. cold — not warm
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cold — an illness

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