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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mug — a cup
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ground — the earth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ground — a position
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — of water
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mug — a face

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