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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. plane — a tool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — to cut
  8. roll — a list
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of a king
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. present — a gift
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — the time now
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — a video
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. court — of law

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