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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — to come down
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. wave — with your hand

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