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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pop — music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — a series

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