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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — to come down
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — for paper
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. land — ground
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. squash — to crush
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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