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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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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 · chest · drill · can · cold · ruler · clip · hide

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — army training
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chest — a box
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — not warm

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