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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. object — to protest
  3. pass — a permit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — a video
  20. object — an aim
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. dip — a sauce

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