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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. field — farmland
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — for sport
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hand — help
  24. rush — a thrill

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