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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. race — humankind
  13. cap — a hat
  14. race — a contest
  15. cap — a lid
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — of the year
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — a trail

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