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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — a video
  4. present — a gift
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. date — the fruit
  10. game — a match
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. board — a committee
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — to get on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. content — happy
  23. game — a kind of play
  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