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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rest — a break
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — an amount
  17. club — a group
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a line of people

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