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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pass — a permit
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rule — government
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — to breed
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rule — a law
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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