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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: bear · dip · sharp · clip · board · season · foot · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — to cut
  6. board — to get on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. season — in sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. sharp — clever

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