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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rest — a break
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. clip — a video
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. object — a thing
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — a football final
  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