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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to click
  6. capital — money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stand — to bear
  11. dip — to sink
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. object — an aim
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — an amount
  23. object — a thing
  24. hide — animal skin

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