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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — a video
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to confront
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rest — a break
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — what's left
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — a stone
  18. spell — a short time
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rock — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. clip — to cut
  24. row — a line

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