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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — from a university
  8. present — there
  9. game — a match
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. present — the time now
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — a gift
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. arm — a part of something

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