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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 124 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. squash — the sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ground — a position
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — the earth
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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