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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. cell — a phone
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fine — high quality
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cell — in biology
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. degree — an amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lash — to lash out
  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