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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ball — a great time
  9. game — a match
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tube — a container
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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