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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mug — to rob
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. clip — a video
  7. mug — a face
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ball — a great time
  24. dip — to sink

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