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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. cap — a hat
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. degree — from a university
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. present — there
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — temperature
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — an amount
  18. roll — a list
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — to lash out

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