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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — in sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. capital — a city
  10. season — of the year
  11. degree — from a university
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — electric
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. capital — money
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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