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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — from a university
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — a publisher
  20. root — the cause
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — in sport
  24. degree — an amount

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