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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. stock — shares
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — a group
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stock — a soup base
  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