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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fan — to cool the air

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