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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — for catching
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. key — in music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — for a lock
  20. clip — for paper
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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