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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — an amount
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitch — completely
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mate — to breed
  22. march — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mate — a partner

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