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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. spell — magic
  3. rule — government
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — letters
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fine — all right
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rule — a law
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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