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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. dip — to sink
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — a video
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hand — help
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — a sauce

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