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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — high quality
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — a short time
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. nail — for a hammer

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