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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — to cut
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fall — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — all right
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — to crush
  17. clip — a video
  18. dip — to sink
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. last — final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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