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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. current — happening now
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — electric
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — crushed
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. current — of water
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hand — help
  16. mug — a face
  17. ground — a position
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — the earth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. staff — a stick
  24. degree — an amount

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