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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lean — thin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mark — a grade
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lean — to rest against

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