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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. drill — a practice
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — a phone
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — army training
  10. bound — obliged
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bound — certain
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bear — the animal

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