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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. degree — from a university
  4. kick — in football
  5. spring — the season
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spring — of water
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. board — to get on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ground — crushed

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