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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bank — of a river
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — for money
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — for paper
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. dip — to sink
  24. clip — a video

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