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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pop — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. file — a tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — after costs
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — help
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — a hint
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. file — a document
  24. pass — to spend time

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