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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — a trail
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bear — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — to go on
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — final

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