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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. game — wild animals
  4. degree — an amount
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. court — of law
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — final
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — to sink
  15. game — a match
  16. last — to go on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — finally
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — for sport

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