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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — child
  3. swing — music
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stand — to bear
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. land — ground
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — a country
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. degree — an amount

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