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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. band — a music group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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