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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. date — the fruit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — from a university
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rock — a stone
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rock — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — an agreement

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