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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 124 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. clip — a video
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — army training
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. clip — to cut
  24. swing — 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