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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — in football
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pop — to visit
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mug — a face
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — a video

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