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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — from a university
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mate — a partner
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — an injury
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. deal — to handle
  18. key — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a friend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mate — to breed

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