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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bank — of a river
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — completely
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — child
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — temperature
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. shower — rain
  19. degree — an amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. degree — from a university

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