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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — a law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — the amount
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rule — government

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