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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. degree — temperature
  5. spell — letters
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — an amount
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — magic
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — a short time
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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