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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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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: bear · lie · sharp · mug · pitcher · clip · ground · dip

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mug — to rob
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lie — an untruth

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