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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — a practice
  14. degree — temperature
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. clip — to cut
  18. drill — army training
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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