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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. firm — decided
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — of a king
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. firm — steady
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — for sport
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. firm — a company
  18. fine — all right
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — of law
  24. fine — high quality

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