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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 120 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: cap · wound · content · safe · hand · lie · clip · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — help
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — of ice
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lie — to recline
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. clip — a video
  18. content — the amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — happy
  23. clip — for paper
  24. dip — a sauce

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