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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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