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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: clip · dip · content · date · march · stick · bay · safe

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. content — the amount
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — a video
  22. march — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. dip — to dunk

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