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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. clip — a video
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chip — for betting
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a lid
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chip — to eat
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lean — thin
  24. chair — to sit on

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