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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rest — what's left
  22. dip — to sink
  23. clip — to cut
  24. branch — of a bank

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