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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — rain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pit — a hole
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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