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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — a thrill

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