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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. suit — clothes
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. present — there
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. suit — in cards
  15. present — a gift
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. can — a tin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. present — the time now

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