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

Word bank: season · saw · degree · dip · cap · chest · leaves · kick

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — in football
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chest — a box
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. season — in sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chest — of your body
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — a hat
  24. dip — a sauce

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