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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — temperature
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — to point toward
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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