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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fine — all right
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — the amount
  13. game — a match
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fine — high quality
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — thin
  24. game — a kind of play

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