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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — the season
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. court — of a king
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — for paper
  24. court — of law

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