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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to click
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. degree — temperature
  7. object — to protest
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — from a university
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wave — with your hand

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