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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — an amount
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — wild animals
  6. degree — temperature
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. march — music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spell — letters
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — in football
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spell — magic
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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