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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. spring — the season
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. dip — to sink
  11. content — the amount
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — happy
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rash — a series
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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