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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to click
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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