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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. board — to get on
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rush — hurry
  12. track — a song
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a committee
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — an amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to click

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