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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. clip — to cut
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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