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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chip — for betting
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — an amount
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — a break
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. dip — to sink

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