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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — a song
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to sink
  13. track — a path
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. perch — for a bird

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