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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rule — a law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — magic
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. degree — from a university
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hand — help

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