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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
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: degree · hide · calf · tube · sharp · snap · lean · dip

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lean — thin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lean — to bend
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — to sink
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — an amount

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