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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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468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chair — a leader
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. charge — electricity
  7. court — of law
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — from a university
  10. charge — in control
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fine — high quality
  13. court — for sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of a king
  24. lash — an eyelash

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