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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 120 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. last — finally
  10. lean — thin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rush — hurry
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a face
  20. degree — from a university
  21. last — to go on
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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