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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.

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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: race · trunk · suit · pop · dip · fork · snap · clip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. clip — to cut
  3. race — a contest
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — to visit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — the arms race
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — soda
  10. snap — to click
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pop — music
  22. race — humankind
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. suit — clothes

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