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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. shower — to wash
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. dip — to sink
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — from a university
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  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