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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rock — a stone
  7. suit — clothes
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rock — music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — in cards
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — ground
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — a match
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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