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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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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: dip · pit · clip · mine · ground · mouse · bat · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. dip — to sink
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ground — the earth
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — a position
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — the animal

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