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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — for paper
  3. charge — electricity
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to sink
  9. clip — to cut
  10. charge — in control
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. firm — decided
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — a tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. firm — steady
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. firm — a company
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wind — moving air

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