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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.

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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: mate · pit · game · dip · clip · straw · wave · key

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mate — a partner
  9. clip — a video
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pit — a hole
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — to breed
  17. key — in music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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