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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — temperature
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. root — of a word
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a plant
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. root — the cause
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. craft — a skill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lash — to lash out

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