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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pass — a permit
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — a video
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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