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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. dip — to sink
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — all right
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — completely
  24. clip — for paper

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