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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: mark · dip · foot · fine · clip · bat · toast · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mark — a grade
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — the animal
  14. toast — bread
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. clip — a video
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mine — for digging
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fine — high quality
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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