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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — to go on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. shower — to wash
  13. degree — from a university
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — for paper
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. last — finally
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. last — final
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. clip — to cut

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