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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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Word bank
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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: squash · clip · tube · tear · ball · suit · face · race

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. ball — a dance
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — to cut
  6. suit — to fit
  7. race — the arms race
  8. suit — clothes
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — to rip
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a great time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. race — a contest
  19. face — to point toward
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — the underground
  22. suit — in cards
  23. tube — a container
  24. face — part of the head

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