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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — a short time
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cue — for pool
  6. firm — decided
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. shower — rain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — to cut
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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