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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. foot — a measure
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — the season
  7. mate — a partner
  8. degree — from a university
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. deal — to handle
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spring — a coil
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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