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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. kick — in football
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — to push
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. degree — temperature

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