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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: clip · toast · snap · tear · content · pitcher · dip · board

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. dip — to sink
  4. content — the amount
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — happy
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tear — to rip
  24. board — a committee

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