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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. ground — crushed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spell — magic
  4. ground — the earth
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — after costs
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — in sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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