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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — for betting
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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