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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ball — a dance
  5. key — for a lock
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. clip — a video
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. dip — to sink
  14. can — to be able to
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. key — in music

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