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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — the season
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — a series
  24. degree — an amount

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