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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — a permit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hand — help
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fall — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a path

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