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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. degree — temperature
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — a partner
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mate — to breed
  21. game — a match
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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