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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: net · clip · squash · deal · mark · dip · row · present

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — a gift
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — for catching
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — a grade
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a trace
  16. deal — to handle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. present — the time now
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. present — there
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. dip — to sink

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