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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — the cause
  11. lean — thin
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. degree — from a university
  17. root — of a word
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kick — in football
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — to bend
  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