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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — an amount
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — of a river
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spell — magic
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — for money
  24. degree — from a university

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