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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · wave · kick · snap · content · face · degree · bowl

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. content — happy
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. degree — from a university
  22. content — the amount
  23. degree — an amount
  24. face — to point toward

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