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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bass — low music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — from a university
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pop — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. field — for sport

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