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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bank — for money
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — of a river
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — a match
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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