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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chip — to eat
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — happy
  11. squash — the sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. content — the amount
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mate — a friend
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. mate — a partner
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — for paper

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