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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hand — in cards
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — a series
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. content — the amount

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