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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — a series
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — a trace
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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