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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ground — crushed
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — a position
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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