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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — a law
  20. face — to confront
  21. rule — government
  22. pop — music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bank — of a river

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