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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — the amount
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — for money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — a phone
  19. content — happy
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — 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