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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — hasty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. vault — a safe
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lie — to recline
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — a series

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