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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a music group
  17. sharp — clever
  18. band — a ring
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — a sauce

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