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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mate — a friend
  9. board — a committee
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pop — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. sharp — clever
  22. board — to get on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mate — to breed

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