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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 124 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. clip — a video
  5. mark — a grade
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. last — final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. clip — to cut
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a trace
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stock — goods
  24. bat — in an idiom

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