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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — a video
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. swing — to play on

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