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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. degree — an amount
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — help
  13. capital — a city
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a hole
  17. present — there
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. present — a gift
  21. pit — in a race
  22. present — the time now
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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