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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to sink
  22. clip — to cut
  23. degree — an amount
  24. clip — for paper

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