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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. file — a line of people
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — boats
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a skill

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