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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. content — happy
  7. game — wild animals
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fork — in a road
  13. content — the amount
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — the sport
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mug — a face

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