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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pop — music
  7. current — of water
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pop — to visit
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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