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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. season — in sport
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bound — certain

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