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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — in biology
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pass — a permit
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cue — a hint
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — moving air

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