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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: clip · dip · game · track · fall · foot · press · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a path
  4. dip — to sink
  5. press — to push
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — newspapers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — to cut
  15. game — wild animals
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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