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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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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — of the year
  24. 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