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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kid — child

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