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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — a song
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — to crush

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