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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. clip — to cut
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chip — for betting
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. degree — from a university
  18. clip — for paper
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. trunk — of a car

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