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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to sink
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tube — a container
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. clip — for paper
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — a professorship

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