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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. face — to confront
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — a path
  5. fine — all right
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — for paper
  9. spell — letters
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — a short time
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. face — part of the head
  22. track — a song
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — on a finger

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