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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — an amount
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. key — for a lock
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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