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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — a video
  4. present — there
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. present — the time now
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bank — of a river
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. clip — for paper
  20. dip — to sink
  21. present — a gift
  22. bat — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bat — in an idiom

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