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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — in music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. roll — a list
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. last — finally
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — for paper
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tube — in a tire

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