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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fine — high quality
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — an amount
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — before a funeral

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