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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pop — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — an aim
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — size or range
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — to sink
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — to keep secret

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