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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. season — of the year
  3. degree — an amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. degree — from a university
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — tied together

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