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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 124 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. date — the fruit
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spell — letters
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — magic
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — to handle

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