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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. dip — to sink
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. can — a tin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fall — the season
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. swing — music

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