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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. last — final
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — help
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. kick — in football
  10. last — to go on
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. degree — temperature
  14. track — a song
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. last — finally
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. track — to keep track
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hand — in cards

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