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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — an aim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a tool
  9. object — to protest
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. board — a committee
  15. object — a thing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a document
  20. face — to confront
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a line of people
  24. dip — to sink

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