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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. staff — a stick
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — a tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. squash — to crush
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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