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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. race — a contest
  8. club — for golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — hurry
  13. race — the arms race
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. club — a group
  20. swing — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — to trim
  24. club — for dancing

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