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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cue — for pool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — a weight
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — temperature
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cue — a hint
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. calf — a young animal

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