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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — soda
  11. squash — the sport
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. kid — child
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — to tease
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lash — an eyelash

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