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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — to crush
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. season — of the year
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. shower — to wash
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. shower — rain

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