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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. degree — temperature
  3. craft — boats
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rest — a break
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. file — a document
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — a thing
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. land — a country
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. object — an aim
  24. craft — a skill

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