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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. charge — in control
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bank — of a river
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — electricity
  12. dip — to sink
  13. charge — a price
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — for money
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — to cut

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