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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cue — a signal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. degree — an amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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