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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · mate · drill · tube · key · dip · date · clip

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. tube — a container
  2. drill — the tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cap — a lid
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — in music
  10. drill — army training
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — a practice
  19. clip — for paper
  20. key — for a lock
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cap — of ice
  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