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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — of ice
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — part of the body

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