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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — a permit
  17. can — a tin
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pound — a weight
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mate — to breed
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chip — for betting

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