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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a great time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fork — in a road
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. clip — to cut

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