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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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. mouse — for a computer
  4. rule — government
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — to eat
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hand — help
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mouse — the animal

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