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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · dip · chest · spell · can · mug · degree · kid

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. deal — to handle
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a face
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — an amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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