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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rule — government
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — a law
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. clip — for paper
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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