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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chip — to eat
  5. charge — in control
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. charge — a price
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — happy
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. last — finally
  21. content — the amount
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. last — final

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