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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. track — a song
  6. season — in sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — the underground
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — a container
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — from a university
  20. track — a path
  21. degree — an amount
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. club — a group
  24. fan — to cool the air

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