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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — an amount
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — temperature
  13. net — for catching
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mate — to breed
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the sport

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