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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — an amount
  5. net — in sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to click
  12. net — for catching
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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