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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — music
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rush — hurry

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