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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. ground — the earth
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — to bear
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — a video
  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