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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: season · foot · mark · firm · dip · mug · clip · racket

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — in sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. season — of the year
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. clip — to cut
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. foot — a measure
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. firm — steady
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — a company
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mug — to rob
  20. clip — a video
  21. mark — a trace
  22. dip — to sink
  23. firm — decided
  24. foot — part of the body

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