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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. net — in sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a partner
  9. degree — from a university
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — after costs
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — temperature
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rest — a break
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. racket — for tennis

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