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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. net — for catching
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. file — a document
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chip — for betting
  19. file — a tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chip — to eat

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