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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. court — for sport
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — a series
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. court — of a king
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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