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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. clip — a video
  3. spring — a coil
  4. object — a thing
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — an aim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. object — to protest
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — to shout

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