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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. season — of the year
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — from a university
  7. dip — to sink
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. court — for sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. court — of law
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. court — of a king
  15. season — in sport
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rush — a thrill

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