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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ground — a position
  18. chip — to eat
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — final
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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