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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · fork · mate · squash · land · ground · dip · object

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. land — to come down
  3. ground — the earth
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mate — to breed
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — a country
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fork — in a road
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — a partner
  20. squash — to crush
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — to cut

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