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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. band — a music group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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