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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cell — a phone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. clip — to cut
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bound — obliged
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stand — on your feet

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