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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 116 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: sharp · clip · cue · track · perch · can · kick · dip

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cue — for pool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — a video
  9. cue — a signal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. clip — to cut
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — for paper
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — in football
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. perch — the fish

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