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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — there
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — a box
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — an amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. date — the fruit
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. present — the time now
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. can — to be able to
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. dip — to sink
  24. degree — from a university

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