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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — to come down
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stand — to bear
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cue — a hint
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. degree — temperature
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cue — a signal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. prune — to trim

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