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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to click
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bulb — for light
  7. season — in sport
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rest — a break

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