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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kick — in football
  15. cold — not warm
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rock — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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