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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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Word bank
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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 · jam · wound · rule · mate · bowl · degree · craft

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a partner
  3. craft — boats
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. craft — a skill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rule — a law
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. degree — from a university

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