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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: ground · key · roll · fall · club · clip · fine · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fall — the season
  3. clip — for paper
  4. club — a group
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — the earth
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fine — high quality
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for dancing
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. roll — a list
  17. ground — crushed
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. clip — a video
  23. fine — all right
  24. club — for golf

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