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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. degree — temperature
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a line of people
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. date — on the calendar

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