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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 116 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. court — of law
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. clip — a video
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — the amount
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — a hole
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — to shout

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