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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. clip — a video
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ground — the earth
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ground — crushed
  18. dip — to sink
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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