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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: dip · present · last · clip · cue · wound · safe · capital

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. dip — to sink
  7. present — there
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — finally
  16. cue — a signal
  17. present — the time now
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. present — a gift
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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