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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — bread
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fall — the season
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — music
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. toast — the most admired

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