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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mate — a partner
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — a practice
  11. roll — a list
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. clip — to cut
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — to breed

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