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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. roll — a cake
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — in control
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. clip — a video
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. charge — a price
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — the amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — for a hammer

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