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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a face
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mug — a cup
  10. vault — a safe
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — to rob
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — the season

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