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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. capital — money
  4. object — an aim
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mug — a cup
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mug — a face
  14. dip — to sink
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — to protest
  21. mate — a partner
  22. capital — a city
  23. mate — to breed
  24. object — a thing

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