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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chip — for betting
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chip — to eat
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  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