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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. net — in sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. object — a thing
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ball — a great time
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — a video
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — after costs

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