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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. craft — boats
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — in sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. degree — temperature
  15. craft — a skill
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. net — after costs

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