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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. press — a publisher
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — to push
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hand — in cards
  24. degree — an amount

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