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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. clip — a video
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mark — a trace
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. clip — for paper
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hand — help

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