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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. field — a subject
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — for sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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