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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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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — finally
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tube — a container
  7. last — to go on
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — final
  15. fine — all right
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — shares
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — magic
  24. tube — in a tire

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