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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — temperature
  4. can — a tin
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. degree — from a university
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — after costs
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — for catching
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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