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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. band — a music group
  2. charge — in control
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. degree — temperature
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rock — a stone
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. snap — to click
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kick — in football
  23. rock — to move gently
  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