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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — money
  3. clip — a video
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. capital — a city
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hand — in cards
  18. vault — a safe
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. capital — a big letter
  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