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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — to cut
  11. charge — in control
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. squash — the sport
  16. object — an aim
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kick — in football

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