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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cue — a signal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. craft — boats
  8. cap — a hat
  9. clip — a video
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. current — of water
  12. pitch — completely
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cue — for pool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cue — a hint
  21. current — electric
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — happening now
  24. lean — to rest against

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