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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — to paddle
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — after costs
  6. clip — a video
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kid — child
  9. clip — for paper
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mark — a grade
  16. club — a group
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. row — a line
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — for catching
  22. club — for golf
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — in sport

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