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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of a king
  8. present — there
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a cup
  17. degree — an amount
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — the time now
  24. court — of law

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