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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — a path
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — child
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — in football
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — an amount

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