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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. board — a committee
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rest — a break
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. board — to get on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — the season
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — temperature

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