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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — money
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — a city
  21. bound — obliged
  22. squash — the sport
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — a place of worship

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