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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — temperature
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — to breed
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — for betting
  23. degree — an amount
  24. clip — for paper

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