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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a line
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mark — a grade
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — to come down
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kid — to tease
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — ground
  23. row — to paddle
  24. degree — temperature

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