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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · dip · present · key · degree · suit · game · clip

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — a video
  4. degree — an amount
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. present — a gift
  11. suit — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. key — the most important part
  16. degree — from a university
  17. clip — for paper
  18. key — for a lock
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — a coil
  21. present — there
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. suit — to fit
  24. game — a kind of play

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