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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lean — to bend
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mark — a trace
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mark — a grade
  15. staff — a stick
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — the animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — to tease

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