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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. object — an aim
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chip — for betting
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cue — for pool
  23. object — to protest
  24. cue — a signal

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