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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — to shout
  3. clip — a video
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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