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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. degree — from a university
  9. file — a document
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. degree — an amount
  23. can — to be able to
  24. dip — to sink

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