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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mark — a trace
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. race — humankind
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a list

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