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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · wound · clip · toast · object · pit · tear · chip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. toast — bread
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tear — to rip
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. clip — for paper
  22. object — an aim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pit — in a race

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