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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — for sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — to rip
  7. chip — for betting
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — the amount
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — a video
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — to eat
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — a song
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — of a king
  24. content — videos and posts

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