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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. firm — a company
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — decided
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — to wash
  13. drill — a practice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. firm — steady
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — a permit
  24. degree — from a university

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