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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. face — to point toward
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pop — to visit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — in sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pop — soda
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. ball — a great time
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. degree — temperature
  22. last — final
  23. pop — music
  24. dip — a sauce

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