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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. season — of the year
  8. rest — a break
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — an aim
  20. degree — an amount
  21. season — in sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — child

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