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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pop — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pitcher — a jug

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