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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: cue · dip · bat · spring · clip · shower · pass · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — the season
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spring — of water
  15. cue — a hint
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — a video
  18. cue — for pool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. object — an aim

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