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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — ground
  4. object — to protest
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — army training
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pit — a hole
  13. land — a country
  14. drill — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — for paper
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — an aim
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. object — a thing
  22. pit — in a race
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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