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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — to go on
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — final
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — finally
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pit — a hole
  24. chip — for betting

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