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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — an amount
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — temperature

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