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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rash — hasty
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — of law
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. charge — in control
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. court — for sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. dip — to dunk

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