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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a friend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stand — to bear
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — the amount
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chip — to eat
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — temperature

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