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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cap — a hat
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. net — after costs
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. degree — from a university
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — for catching
  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