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

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — an amount
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — for a lock
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash

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