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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. race — a contest
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rash — hasty
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. race — humankind
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — a series

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