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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rest — a break
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — a stone
  8. content — the amount
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rock — music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. content — happy
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to click
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — a permit

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