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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pit — in a race
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. staff — employees
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. clip — a video
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. snap — to click
  14. pit — a hole
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tube — a container
  24. staff — a stick

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