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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. degree — temperature
  8. shower — rain
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. degree — from a university
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ball — a great time
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. court — for sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. shower — to wash
  24. court — of a king

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