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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. dip — to sink
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rule — government
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. root — the cause
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a word
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rule — a law
  21. root — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. trunk — of a car

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