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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — a permit
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — low music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lean — thin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bass — the fish
  23. board — a committee
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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