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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. root — of a plant
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — a video
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to sink

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