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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. clip — to cut
  3. shower — to wash
  4. clip — a video
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — rain
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — lets stay

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