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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · degree · lash · bear · pit · last · shower · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — in football
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — to go on
  10. object — a thing
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — finally
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. shower — to wash
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pit — a hole
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pit — in a race
  21. last — final
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lash — to lash out

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