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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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 — to dunk
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. degree — temperature
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — the amount
  12. rule — government
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — to bear
  17. content — happy
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — to sink
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — for spectators
  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