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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. degree — from a university
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. dip — to sink
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — an amount
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — size or range
  18. board — a committee
  19. scale — in music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — a partner
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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