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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — final
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rock — music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mug — a face
  21. last — to go on
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rock — a stone

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