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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rest — a break
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bank — for money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pound — a weight
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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